Once viewed by many as the biggest villain in golf, Bryson DeChambeau has done a complete 180 over the last few years and is now one of the most beloved figures in the sport. I mean, even he and Brooks Koepka are pals these days.
Yes, there are still some who hate the fact that the two-time U.S. Open champ jumped ship from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf a few years back. But what's done is done. And unlike some of the others who joined the Saudi-backed series, DeChambeau is even more popular now than he was when he left.
YouTube has certainly helped on that front, as the Mad Scientist has more than 1.8 million subscribers on his channel these days, with every episode of his Can I Break 50? show amassing millions upon millions of views. And that experiment with hitting balls over his house? Come on; that was just pure entertainment.
But even beyond that, DeChambeau is simply much more relatable and relaxed these days. No, most of us can't relate to smashing 350-plus-yard drives on a consistent basis, but he just looks like a guy who's having fun playing golf, and that's certainly a relatable quality.
Bryson's newfound maturity has been a breath of fresh air, and it was on full display in an interview ahead of this week's Masters, as the 31-year-old walked back the infamous "par 67" comments he made about Augusta National five years ago.
Bryson DeChambeau regrets "par 67" comments about Augusta National
For those who may need a reminder, not long after adding 40 pounds of muscle in late 2019 and into 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, DeChambeau was interviewed by Golf Channel's Todd Lewis ahead of the 2020 November Masters and opined that Augusta National was now a "par 67" to him due to his then-newfound length.
“I’m looking at it as a par 67 for me because I can reach all the par fives in two, no problem," DeChambeau said then. "If the conditions stay the way they are, that’s what I feel like par is for me. That’s not me being bigheaded. I can hit it as far as I want to."
Naturally, that rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Of course, DeChambeau haters were very pleased with how things played out that week, as he tied for 34th, never shooting lower than 69 and recording two rounds over par.
And the next three years were even worse, as the California native tied for 46th in 2021 and then missed the cut in both 2022 and 2023. He finally figured some things out last year, holding the 36-hole lead before ultimately tying for sixth, marking his best Masters finish since tying for 21st as an amateur back in 2016.
This week, DeChambeau comes to The Masters as one of the favorites. And again, his maturity is shining through, as he told The Telegraph he regrets his "par 67" comments.
"I’ve always since said I don’t regret saying that 67 thing, because I learnt from that experience, and it made me a better person," DeChambeau said.
"But do I wish I hadn’t said it? I do. Really, I do," he added.
“Because it impacted some people negatively and I don’t want that, no matter how much of a benefit it might have been to me maturing."
“I can see that it was disrespectful to some and I’m sorry for that. Boy, it was a humbling experience. But for me, it was simply from a statistical viewpoint and yardages and looking at, if I’m playing well, I could or should be hitting the greens in two or whatever," he said.
“It was motivation for myself and not intended as anything otherwise. I’ve never disrespected Augusta internally."
DeChambeau is one of 12 LIV Golf players in the 2025 Masters field this week, and he'll undoubtedly have a large following as he makes his way around Augusta National over the next few days.